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EACEA National Policies Platform
Germany

Germany

6. Education and Training

Last update: 28 November 2023

Education in Germany is strongly determined by the country’s federal structure. Responsibilities for education are distributed between the federal government (Bund) and Germany’s federal states (Bundesländer). Each federal state has its own education system and school laws. See also Administration and Governance.

Formal education qualifications are among the most important ways to gain access to the primary labour market.

Digitalisation has become a major issue, also in the field of education. In October 2016, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung) adopted its strategy "Education offensive for the digital knowledge society" (Bildungsoffensive für die digitale Wissensgesellschaft) to provide a systematic framework for digital education in Germany. It promotes the teaching of digital literacy and learning with digital media in all stages of the education system. The Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (Kultusministerkonferenz) adopted the strategy "Education in the digital world" (Bildung in der digitalen Welt) in December 2016. It contains objectives and areas of action for all 16 federal states, the federal government, local authorities, school organisations and schools.